It’s certainly not been a typical osprey breeding season at Loch of the Lowes. The season began with the safe return of regular breeding female osprey NC0 in mid-March. She patiently awaited the arrival of the young male known as the ‘Dark Intruder’, who bonded and held territory with her last summer, following the death mid-season of her long-term mate LM12.

 

 

Unusually, NC0 appeared to leave her ‘throne’ on the 2 April, either to find a new nesting site and mate, or perhaps was seen off the territory by another female. Either way, she missed reuniting with the young ‘Dark Intruder’, who became known officially as LM24 (Lowes Male 2024) by around 36 hours!

 

 

It wasn’t long however before a young, unringed female with a ‘Cluedo’ playing piece marking on the back of her head, took a fancy to the nesting site and began to bond with LM24.

 

 

Just when it looked like the pair were settled and approaching a potential egg laying window, a confident, strikingly marked dark female arrived, and wasted no time in soliciting food from LM24. Although she was seen off by ‘Cluedo’ later that afternoon, she returned the next day and became the dominant female on the nest.

 

 

The ‘Dark Female’ quickly assumed the mantle of the resident breeding female, adopting the title of LF25 (Lowes Female 2025), and laid two eggs on 4 and 7 of May. All looked to be going well for the young, inexperienced pair, however disaster struck when she accidently stood on one, crushing it.

Just when it looked like the remaining egg would hatch, LF25 suddenly abandoned incubating and left the egg and nest completely open to the elements for increasingly long periods of time. Eventually on 8 June a crow attempted to predate the egg, although it was clearly no longer viable.

It was anticipated that LF25 and LM24 would hold territory for the rest of the season. However, following on from the already topsy turvy events of the season, she also left the area and was last seen on 9 July. Again it was not clear whether she left to roam or whether she was chased off, although she was immediately replaced later that day by ‘Blue 210’, a ringed female who had intruded briefly earlier in the season.

Blue 210 is a 5-year-old bird from Kielder Forest, known locally there as ‘Darden’. She bred successfully last year in Perthshire and raised two young, but despite having a mate, she failed to lay eggs or raise any young.

Despite her failed breeding season, she was receptive to LM24’s bonding advances and mated with him on numerous occasions.

Having previously bred successfully, it was clear from Blue 210’s behaviour that she was much more experienced and quickly got the nest looking the best it had all season.

LM24 continued to impress Blue 210 with displays of sky dancing and deliveries of fish….although on one occasion, so keen was Blue 210 to eat that she grabbed both a small fish and the male’s talons, resulting in a rather undignified flattening for LM24!

Blue 210 also demonstrated her fishing prowess throughout the summer, catching a few whoppers of her own!

The pair defended the nest throughout the rest of the season, including seeing off ‘Blue PH9’ a young 3 year old male, who fledged from a Perthshire nest in 2022.

 

As July gave way to August, sightings of Blue 210 began to reduce, as she prepared for her long migration south. At the time of writing the last time she was seen at the reserve was Monday 18 August.

LM24 continued to tend to the nest and was last seen fishing from the ‘Split Birch’ on 28th August. Given his departure date last season was 26 August, he is in likely to leave very shortly for sunnier climes and with that the osprey ‘Lowes Lullaby’ falls quiet once more.

Goodness only knows what will happen next year, but should he return he’s certainly in a good position to successfully breed with one of the many females taking an interest in him and the nesting site!

Could it be that ‘Cluedo’ makes a play for the nest? Will LF25 return with more experience under her wings to breed successfully? Or will Blue 210 decide it is the nest for her – it’s hard to know if her time at Lowes has purely displaced frustration nest building or a play for the territory?

And of course, what of NC0? Let’s not forget what an early returning bird she is. Who knows, maybe we could see her return to claim her throne!

For now our thanks to all the volunteers for their endless enthusiasm and time spent keeping the ospreys free from disturbance throughout the season. We now turn our eyes (and ears) to the skies for the incoming geese and other winter migrants.